DM Bigrin's Second Darkness

A foul omen looms in the sky over the scoundrel city of Riddleport, an ominous shadow that defies the light. Is it a curse laid millennia ago by forgotten mages? Does it forewarn against the return of some terrible foe? Or does it portend a terrible

"Here's a thought where the bookkeeping can help," Anklebiter says as he staggers to his feet. "How many people did he borrow money from, and how many of them would be willing to lend a hand to us to get all of his money away from him?"

While the Goblin speaks, Minky the monkey runs over and collects the scrap of parchment dropped by the Overlord's mysterious agent. She promptly returns to her master and waves her prize in his face, chattering imperiously until he takes it and gives it a look.

"Let's find a safe house right away, I can't heal anyone until we get a night's rest. After that I say we start spreading the word that Saul betrayed his most famous enforcers, that should limit his ability to hire new help. I knew that man was a rat, we should have let that gnome run him through!" Kel pouts at the party's misfortune of falling for Saul's charade.

Vancaskerin has made his point clear. He wants you dead. Likewise, you have given enough people enough trouble that I doubt you'll easily oblige him. I intend to take no part in this feud, either for or against, as long as you leave bystanders out of it and do not disrupt business in the area. Lay siege to the Goblin, roast Saul in a fire, leave town...it is all the same to me. Cross the line and involve neighboring businesses, or injure bystanders, and I will come in with an army and rout out the lot of you.

"Let's find a safe house right away, I can't heal anyone until we get a night's rest. After that I say we start spreading the word that Saul betrayed his most famous enforcers, that should limit his ability to hire new help. I knew that man was a rat, we should have let that gnome run him through!" Kel pouts at the party's misfortune of falling for Saul's charade.

"Aye. I regret that my axe ever found that gnome," Lefrik sighs. "Anklebiter, how many did WE offend in Saul's service? They may not be eager to ally with us."

"Hn," Anklebiter grunts. He sighs. "Shame. I almost hoped we could take the Golden Goblin away from that one-armed bandit. Shame. Guess we'll just have to sneak in while everyone's sleeping and nab him, or else lure him out and catch him then."

"Calla, maybe we could ask a favor from the temple of Calistra, when the priestesses 'spread' their religion to the menfolk they could tell them of our departure and help spread the rumor of us leaving town."

While we wait for Kwava to get us a room somewhere to recouperate, why don't we have me and Anklebiter keep our eyes peeled on the Goblin, see if Saul comes back to roost. We'll have to hide out, and neither of us should engage, but we can at least find out if our quarry comes home to roost, or if he's flown to a different coop.

Kwava said "I don't mind either an inn, or a place at the temple, but we need to keep a constant watch on the Goblin. I need to know who he has been dealing with, and to try and take Saul capture. I wonder if we'd managed to slip into the back rooms and out of the killing fields of the main hall if we could have still pulled it off."

"Hummins and Elfses go to Elf-Lady house, then," Anklebiter squeaks. "Goblin and Dwarf stay here and be sneaky. You hire humans for spying, send back here and relieve us. Then we come and heal up, too. Good?"

It seems Anklebiter's speech patterns are devolving with the end of the battle.

Between them, Bruendor and Anklebiter watch the exits of the Gold Goblin, while the others retire for some rest and recuperation. An hour or so before dawn, 2 men and 2 women from the temple come to relieve the dwarf and goblin. There had been no movement in or out of the Goblin thus far, and the four novices assured Bruendor that if there was any change, one would be sent to the temple to alert him, immediately.

An hour or so after noon, one of the novices found Bruendor at the temple and told him that a handful of bodies had been dragged out of the gambling hall and dumped into the river. A few others carrying bows had entered and joined with those inside. From the sound of things, the doors were nailed back up after the bodies were removed and the newcomers welcomed.

"Saul not come out," Anklebiter says once he is told the news. The Goblin cocks his head and hums, then grins. "Make sure no food goes in?" He then shrugs. "I need more sleep to recharge my magic, so... Bed. Bed." The little Goblin yawns hugely and scuttles back to whatever corner was made available for him.

"If it rains, I say we set fire to the Goblin, hoping it won't spread to surrounding buildings. Maybe we light up a barrel of grease and throw that through a window." Kel still fumes over the treachery of Saul.

"Not-good for workers he lied tp," Anklebiter notes. "People we work with? Odd thing to say for Half-Elf. Sound more like Goblin-talk. You want to be a Goblin-girl? Need to grow out your ears and teeth, if you do."

"If only, Lefrik. Saul wants us dead, and is out of tricks for the moment. He's got to be doing the same thing we are - searching his brain for a way out of this. The only thing I can think of is to prevent food and water from coming into the Goblin. We might get his men to desert him if we starve them. But we're only a handful of people against who knows how many men. We can't do that easily, and that all goes out the window if he's got some way of magically conjuring food."

"So we need to get back in there. Anklebiter, got any illusions that will help in a diversion? I think what we might want to do is make it look as though we're going back in the front, and sneak in through a side entrance, probably through the kitchens. We get through there, and head up to the second floor, removing his archer advantage. And we load up on things to confuse the first floor - smokesticks and tanglefoot bags come to mind. We turn his killbox against him. And this time," Bruendor concludes, his eyes cold and unforgiving, "we give Saul no escape route. Our next meeting is our last."

"Those are mid- to high-end illusions you're talking about," Anklebiter says. He yawns, scratches himself, and finds a comfortable place to sit.

"I can conjure mists. I can make sounds at a distance and conjure various kinds of light. That is the closest thing to the kind of distraction you want that I can conjure, apart from firing spells of harm into the casino, and a keen enough mind can see through them. About alchemical tricks, though; we don't need to stock up. Just get me the raw materials and I'll make them. Might attract less attention than buying the finished items, maybe?"

The Goblin flicks an ear at Bruendor. "Just a suggestion, though; let's keep an escape route open, just in case, and let's keep Saul alive. We still need to question him, don't we?"

"How do we even know that Saul is still in the Golden Goblin, he fled through the kitchen and that has an exit to the street, right? What if he left the Goblin already and is holed up somewhere in the city? If Saul did leave the Goblin, where would he go?"

"The sneaky ones could try to sneak in and get a knife to Saul's throat while the rest make a ruckus in front," Anklebiter suggests. "Throw alchemist fire at the door and such, draw the defenders to the front door while the rest nip in the back. The one-armed bandit won't want to be in the thick of the fight."

"Then why replace the guards, Kel, if he's not at the Goblin? And did he move his hoard when we weren't looking? No, he's got to be there, if only because he wouldn't give up his baby."

"Oh yes, the alchemist equipment. That would draw less attention. How much do you need? And how long will it take you to make, say, a half dozen smokesticks and tanglefoot bags? Maybe even a thunderstone or two, just in case he's enlisted eldritch support."

Lefrik grumbled, "The armor is going to make noise, or at least make me make noise. I could go without, but I was nearly a pincushion as it is, and if we go in again, we damn well be ready for more death from above."

Crafting in campaign is kinda difficult unless you have a lot of downtime, since it usually takes a week to make 1 item. I feel like that is too long, but even at 1 day per item you start losing ground fast.

"I still say we burn it! Smoke those rats out!" Kel continues to display a goblinish nature. "But we could hire our own mercenaries to create the distraction and cover our noise, let them assault the front and draw away the attention and arrows while we sneak in the back and find Saul."

"I like the idea of making some sort of commotion in the front and then sneaking in the back. If we can afford it, potions to help us move faster or be sneakier might make sense."[b] Her eyes burn intensely with hatred as she discusses Saul. [b]"As for the others in the bar, if they're stupid enough to continue to attack us despite our words, well, they'll get what they deserve."

I'd say let's use some mundane items to create a distraction in the front and then try to sneak in the rear. We could hire an urchin to set off a few smokesticks and thunderbombs while we buy a few potions of expeditious retreat and the like.

"Maybe best if sneakies go in first, find Saul, put a knife on him and drag him back outside?" Anklebiter suggests. "No muss, no fuss, and toughies beat him up out back until he talks. Not too dishonourababble?"

Yes, the 'dishonourababble' is on purpose; Goblins have a very earthy view of such matters, and Anklebiter is still learning stuff. :p

"Saul may not be so easily dispatched, and I do not wish the sneaky ones to find themselves facing he and his goons alone, but tell me the plan you all agree to and I'll abide by it. I am..tired of this city. If not for you, my friends and allies, I would spit on revenge and head north."

"Aye. Healing, distractions, and stealth - we use those, and we'll get to Saul. I like Calla's suggestion on magics that will make us travel faster, we can be on Saul's men before they know what's hit them."

Besides the front door, DM, what other entrances are there to the Goblin?

Bruendor gathers some ink and parchment, and sketches a rough outline of the Goblin. "Saul's got the Goblin locked down tight - windows and doors boarded. He'd be a fool not to have at least one man guarding the rear, but the tight quarters and enclosed area nullifies their archer advantage. It's our best way in. I don't know how silently we'll be able to enter, so our best hope is to cause that distraction out front, drawing their attention to where we don't intend to strike. Let's gather our supplies, and prepare to strike tomorrow evening. The more time we give Saul to prepare for our second strike, the harder the assault will be. I'm also going to give the grounds another scouting, just to make sure there's not a chink in Saul's armor we can't exploit. Maybe we'll get lucky and he's forgotten to barricade an upstairs window or something."

Mechanics:

Maintaining a healthy distance from the Goblin, Bruendor will scout it out. Taking 10 for Stealth, giving me a 16.

Bruendor scurries off after the sentry spots him, returning to the group with his purchases. "No other easy ways in. The back door is our only real option. Of course, that just means Saul's done his job a little too well. The problem with barricading a building is that barricades work both ways. Barricade yourself too lightly, and you can't keep your enemies out. Barricade yourself too heavily, and when your fortress is breached, you have nowhere to run."